Carton distributor



K. N. PUGSLEY 3,543,479

CARTON DISTRIBUTOR Filed Aug. 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Dec. @@T@ K. N. PUGSLEY 35,543,479

CARTON DI STRIBU'IOR Filed Aug. 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVIIN'lO/, KENNETH N. PUGSLEY ATTORNEYS nited States 3,543,479 CARTON DISTRIBUTOR Kenneth N. Pugsley, 2164 Wedgewood Road, Cooksville, Ontario, Canada Filed Aug. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 754,909 Int. Cl. B65b 43/26, 67/02 U.S. Cl. 53-186 10 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to the packaging of solid items in cartons, and is applicable for example to the packaging of groceries at supermarkets and the like. It will be appreciated from the following description, however, that the invention has general applications to packaging stations at which items are received for packaging in cartons.

In supermarkets the packaging of groceries at the service counters is time consuming, since the various items, which are of different shapes and sizes, are selected and packed into paper bags stored at the counter; the bags are initially folded, and have to be opened and held upright to enable the groceries to be placed in them. The available methods are generally inconvenient and slow.

The present invention provides a system by which the packaging of groceries at a service counter, or more generally, the packaging of solid items at a packaging station, may be speeded up.

Accordingly, the invention provides a counter having a top on which the items are received ready for packaging, a magazine for storing collapsible cartons in collapsed condition, feed means for selectively delivering the cartons one at a time from the magazine to the counter top, and forming means for forming a delivered carton in a condition for receiving the items. The forming means may be mechanically coupled to the feed means and operable thereby for forming a carton as it is delivered.

The cartons are preferably in the form of a rectangular cardboard box which can be collapsed into a at condition and opened out into box form.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of a packaging station in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a detail of the packaging station, the figure showing feed, transfer, and forming mechanisms;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a carton that has just been delivered to the forming mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the carton opened by the forming mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, the packaging station, which in the present example is designed for packaging groceries in a supermarket, cornprises a service counter having a top 1, sides 2, 3 and ends `4. 5. The counter top 1 provides a stepped working surface comprising a at upper portion 46 and a at lower portion 7 separated by a vertical step 8. A triangular guard plate 9 covers the end of the step 8 on the cusate 3,543,479 Patented Dec. l, 1970 tomers side of the counter to shield the forming means (described below) from the hands of customers. On the upper portion 6 of the working surface is a feed belt 10 which is movable in the direction of the arrow, and a guide wall 11. The belt 10 is adapted to receive the groceries to be packed.

The lower portion of the counter top 1 is formed with a slot-like delivery aperture 12 adjacent to the step 8. Within the lower portion of the counter and located beneath the countertop is a magazine 13 for the storage of cartons .14 in collapsed condition. Briefly, each carton comprises a rectangular box having an open top, a pair of sides, a pair of ends which are foldable about outwardly expressed fold lines, and a composite base consisting of a first base portion extending between the bottoms of the sides, the first portion being foldable about an inwardly expressed longitudinal fold line, and a second portion consisting of flaps pivoted to the bottoms of the ends and foldable with the ends so that the carton can be collapsed into a flat structure. When inward pressure is applied to the ends of the carton, the carton opens, the rst base portion and the ends respectively opening out into flat areas, and the pivoted flaps opening out into lapping relation with the irst base portion. The bottom of the magazine 13 is defined by a horizontal shelf 15 having a longitudinal groove 16 along which extends a rotatable drive shaft 17 having a helical thread, the shaft constituting feed means for the stored cartons 14. The shaft 17 is arranged to be driven by an electric motor 18, which can be intermittently operated by a foot switch (not shown) the motor being coupled to the drive shaft by a belt and pulley drive 19. Bearing against one end of the stored cartons in the magazine is a carton-engaging feed member consisting of an upper T-shaped portion 20 mounted vertically on a block 21, the block having an internal bore which is threaded to engage with the thread of the drive shaft I17. As the shaft is rotated by the motor 18 in a clockwise direction, looking towards the delivery end of the magazine, the carton-engaging feed member urges the cartons towards the delivery end of the magazine at which the aperture 12 is provided. At the delivery end of the magazine, a cam 22 is mounted on the shaft 17 for rotation therewith, the cam constituting transfer means for transferring the cartons one by one from the magazine to the counter top through the delivery aperture 12. The cam has a curved operative edge provided with a Wedge-shaped rim 23 (as shown in FIG. 4), and a flat end face from which a peg 24 extends axially. The locus of the peg 24 is illustrated in ghost lines in FIG. 2. The peg 24 is adapted to operate a carton-forming means consisting of a rectangular frame 25 carrying an upstanding vertical post 26, to which is attached a forming plate 27 extending in a vertical plane longitudinally of the counter. The frame 25 is guided for lateral sliding movement in guide brackets 28 which are screwed to a wall structure within the counter adjacent to the delivery end of the magazine 13.

In operation, the groceries to be packed are received on the upper portion of the working surface 6 and brought to a convenient position by the feed belt 10. The operator operates the foot switch to drive the motor 18 for a time sufficient to bring a carton 14 into alignment with the delivery aperture 12. The cam 22 is rotated by the shaft so that the wedge-shaped rim 23 engages the base of the collapsed carton and raises it through the delivery aperture 12 into a forming position. During this part of the cam movement the peg 24 engages one vertical side of the frame 25 to move the frame to the right as shown in FIG. 2, the forming plate 27 being moved to the position shown in ghost lines in FIG. 2. Continued rotation of the cam causes the peg 24 to engage the other side of the frame 25, thereby causing the forming plate to be moved to the left as viewed in FIG. 2. This movement of the forming plate causes inward pressure to be applied to the ends of the delivered carton (see FIGS. 2 and 3) which respectively bear against the forming plate 27 and an abutment edge 29 extending along the lower portion of the counter top. The carton is thus delivered to the lower portion of the working surface 6 adjacent the step 8, and is formed and opened in the manner shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 so that groceries can be readily placed into the carton. When the carton has been opened the motor is de-energized, and the cycle is repeated when the next carton is required.

It will be obvious that numerous variants of this arrangement are possible. For example, the cartons 14 in the magazine may be urged towards the delivery end of the magazine by spring pressure instead of being positively fed in the manner described. Alternatively, the drive shaft may be a reciprocatory shaft along which the carton-engaging member is fed stepwise by a ratchet and pawl mechanism. The transfer means, instead of taking the form of a rotatable cam, may take the form of a vertical endless conveyor for moving the cartons individually upwards through the delivery aperture. The carton-forming mechanism may be driven in the manner described, or the frame may be mounted for rotation about a vertical axis for swinging the forming plate 27 into engagement with the end of the delivered carton.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A packaging station for the packaging of solid items, comprising a counter having a top providing a working surface, a magazine for storing collapsible cartons in collapsed condition, the magazine having a delivery end, feed means for feeding the stored cartons towards the delivery end of the magazine, transfer means coupled to the feed means and operable to deliver individual cartons from the delivery end to the working surface of the counter top, and forming means operable to form a delivered carton in a condition for receiving the items.

2. A packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the magazine is located beneath the counter top, the counter top having a delivery aperture adjacent to the delivery end of the magazine through which the cartons are transferred from the delivery end to the working surface of the counter top.

3. A packaging station according to claim 2, in which the forming means is mechanically coupled to the feed means and operable thereby to form a carton as it is delivered.

4. A packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the counter top provides a stepped working surface comprising an upper portion adapted to receive items to be packed, and a lower portion separated from the upper portion by a step, the transfer means being operable to deliver the individual cartons from the magazine to the lower portion of the working surface adjacent the step.

5. A packaging station according to claim 2, wherein the feed means comprises a drive shaft, means controlled by an operator for driving the drive shaft, a carton-engaging member mounted on the shaft to be driven thereby towards the delivery end of the magazine when the shaft is driven, the carton-engaging member being adapted to bear against one end of a stack of cartons within the magazine to urge the cartons towards the delivery end.

6. A packaging station according to claim S, wherein the shaft is a rotatable shaft having a helical thread, the carton-engaging member being mounted in threaded engagement with the shaft.

7. A packaging station according to claim 6, wherein the transfer means comprises a cam mounted on the shaft at the delivery end of the magazine, the cam being rotatable with the shaft for engaging an end carton and displacing it through the delivery aperture.

8i. A packaging station according to claim 7, in which the forming means comprises a frame mounted in guide means in the counter, the frame being movable laterally in the guide means with respect to the counter, a forming plate carried by the frame above the working surface of the counter, the forming plate extending in a vertical plane longitudinally of the counter, and driving mechanism below the counter top, the driving mechanism being coupled to the cam member to be reciprocated thereby.

9. A packaging station for the packaging of solid items, comprising a counter having a top providing a working surface, the working surface comprising a first portion adapted to receive items to be packed, and a second portion, a magazine for storing collapsible cartons in collapsed condition, feed means for selectively delivering the cartons one at a time form the magazine to the second working surface portion, and forming means for forming a delivered carton in a condition for receiving the items, said forming means being mechanically coupled to the feed means and operable thereby for forming a carton as it is delivered.

10. A packaging station for the packaging of solid items, comprising a counter having a top providing a stepped working surface, the working surface comprising an upper portion and a lower portion separated by a step, a magazine for storing collapsible cartons in collapsed condition, the magazine being located within the counter beneath the lower portion of the counter top, the counter top including a delivery aperture to permit delivery of the individual cartons to said lower portion of the working surface, feed means for selectively delivering the cartons one at a time from the magazine to the lower counter portion at a position adjacent the step, and a forming mechanism adjacent the step for forming a delivered carton in a condition for receiving the items, the forming mechanism being mechanically coupled to the feed means and operable thereby.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,077,950 2/1963 Brown 53-390 X 3,399,507 9/1968 Litchard 53-188 X TRAVIS S. McGEHEE, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. XR. 53-188, 390 

